Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

A. PLIOQUE. THILL GOUPLING.

Patented May 12, 1891.

Byw

W/T/VESSES:

ATTORNEYS m ans c0 FHG10 Lrmn., WASHINGTON u c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE,

ANATOILEPLIOQUE, OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE.

1 THJLL-COUPLING.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452.236, dated May12, 1891.

Application filed September26,1890. Serial No. 866,235. (No model.)

Too/ll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANATOILE PLIOQUE, of Franklin, in the county ofWilliamson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Thill-Oouplings, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in thill-couplings, and has forits object to provide an anti-rattling device capable of attachment toany coupling, which when applied will effectually take up any lostmotion and prevent any rattling of the coupling while said coupling iscapable of use; and a further object of the invention is to so constructthe device that the coupling will thereby be prevented from turning orshifting in its seat.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination oftheseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevationof the coupling. Fig. 2 is a plan viewthereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line a: a: of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the key detached.

The coupling may be of any suitable form or of any approved style, thatillustrated in the drawings consisting of a clip 10, provided withhorizontally-extending ears 11, integral with its front face, betweenwhich ears the eye 12 of the thill-iron 13 is pivoted by means of a bolt14, the said bolt having the usual head 15 at one end and being providedat its opposite end with a nut.

The improvement consists in the key A, (shown in detail in Fig. 4,)which constitutes an anti-rattling device. The key consists of aWedge-shaped body-section 16, preferably of greater thickness at the topthan at the bottom, the said body-section being provided in its outerface near the top with a transverse semicircular depression or concavity17. Integral with the top of the body member a lug 18 is formed, whichextends horizontally beyond one of its sides, and a hood 19 is formedintegral with the outer end of the lug 18, the said hood being locatedat a right angle to the lug and extending forward from the main portionof the body member. The hood 19 is open at its inner face and rear andunder sides, and is preferably rectangular in general contour; but itsshape may be varied as occasion may demand.

-Upon the outer face of the hood 19 a lip 20 is pivoted, which lipusually consists of a piece of metal bent to an essentially L shape, theVertical member being the pivoted member, and the horizontal memberbeing adapted to extend downward below the hood or across the forwardend thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:. The key is completed by theattachment to the rear face of the body member at its lower end of aspring 21, which spring is curved, the upper portion of the spring beingremoved some distance from the opposed face of the body member 16, as isbest shown in Fig. 4:.

'In the application of the key the body member 16 is introduced betweenthe inner surface of the eye 12 of the thill-iron and the opposed faceof the clip, the spring 21 having a bearing against the clip, and theeye of the thill-iron fitting in the concavity 17 of the device, as isclearly shown in Fig. 1. Then the key is in this position, the lug 18extends over one of the arms of the clip, and the hood 19 embraces orsurrounds the head 15 of the pivot-bolt of the coupling, and the shapeof the hood is made to correspond to the shape of the bolt-head. It willbe observed that when the key is thus inserted in the coupling thespring will take up any lost motion and constantly keep the body member16 in such close engagement with the eye of the th-ill-iron that arattling of the joint will be an impossibility. Itwill be furtherobserved that the key acts as a re-enforcing strip to the coupling atits joint, and that the necessity of using rubber, leather, or othermaterial commonly used as an anti-rattler, and which is readilydestroyed, is obviated.

The hood effectually prevents the bolt from turning or slipping; but, asan extra safeguard, the lip 20, heretofore referred to, is added, andwhen thekey is in position in the coupling the lip may be carrieddownward, so that its horizontal member will extend in ward beneath thelower face of the bolt-head, as best shown in Fig. 3. I desire it to bedistinctly understood that the lip 20 is not absolutely necessary to thesuccessful operation of the improvement.

Any kind of metal desired may be employed in the construction of thedevice. Brass, however, is preferred, the spring being of steel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. An anti-rattling device for thill-eouplings,comprising a rigid wedge-shaped body having a spring projecting upwardfrom its lower end and a hood projecting at right angles to one of itsfaces, said hood having three closed sides, substantially as described.

2. An anti-rattling device forthill-couplings, comprising a rigidWedge-shaped body having a semicircular depression in one face andprovided with a horizontally-projecting lug and a hood projecting fromsaid lug at right angles thereto, said hood having three closed sides,and a curved spring secured to the lower end of the body, substantiallyas described.

3. An anti'rattling attachment for thillcouplings, the same consistingof a wedgeshaped body having a transverse depression produced in itsforward face near its upper end, a spring attached to the rear face nearits lower end, a hood attached to the front of the body at the upper endthereof and extending forward at a right angle therefrom, and an angularlip pivotally attached to the hood, as and for the purpose specified.

ANATOILE PLICQUE.

Witnesses:

J. L. PARKES, Ms. K. HUGHES.

